As posted on Unreasonable Faith, here are some excerpts of A Humanist Thanksgiving Proclamation by famed freethinker Robert G. Ingersoll. I know there is no spirit in the sky to give thanks to, but this passage really reinforced my gut feeling about why it’s still okay to feel thankful on Thanksgiving.

When I became convinced that the universe is natural — that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. [...]

For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited places in all the realms of thought — no air, no space, where fancy could not spread her painted wings; no claims for my limbs; no lashes for my back; no fires for my flesh; no following another’s steps; no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl, or utter lying words. I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds.

And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love: To all the heroes, the thinkers, who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain For the freedom of labor and thought. [...] To all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons and daughters of men and women. And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love.

On that note, Happy Thanksgiving to all!